Kai Gets Interviewed

The Chinese team continued to celebrate their victory. Kai stood in the middle of it all, his teammates swarming him while shouting and cheering. 

Jaw-Long had thrown his towel up in the air, while Max was already pulling him into a group hug. Zheng, with a huge grin on his face, reached over and rubbed Kai's hair playfully.

"This guy! You were on fire out there," Zheng said, laughing.

Jian joined in, tousling Kai's already messy hair. "Kai Guo, the unstoppable force! Forget basketball—you're going to be the face of China's sports future."

Kai swatted their hands away with a grin, but his eyes stung. He blinked quickly, trying to keep his emotions in check. 

Marcus couldn't help himself. He walked to the younger player and engulfed him in a hug. 

"You did great, kid," he said. 

Kai was already too emotional, and Marcus' hug just pushed him to the edge. With that, he let himself cry as the others continued to congratulate him.